Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a device for capturing a mooring buoy to attach a boat thereto and, in particular, to a snap hook device for capturing a chain under the mooring buoy from the safety of the boat's cockpit and being able to maneuver the bow of the boat to be adjacent to the mooring buoy by pulling a rope attached to the snap hook device.
Description of Related Art
Anyone who drives a boat and has had to use a mooring buoy knows the difficulties of attaching a mooring line between the mooring and the boat particularly in rough waters and particularly if there is no other person in the boat, as is often the case with pleasure boats in the 16 foot to 24 foot class. The attachment of the line between the mooring buoy and the bow of the boat requires the boat operator to leave a cockpit area and move to the bow area in order to make the mooring line connection to a bow eye or chock which is not always an easy thing to do due in the presence of wind, waves, current, and other nearby boats. Many boat operators often have to make several dangerous attempts to capture a mooring line of a mooring buoy by hanging off the bow of the boat.
There are many devices in the prior art for assisting a boater to grasp a ring on top of a mooring buoy. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,116,880 issued May 10, 1938 to H. D. Dee discloses a self-locking cable hook comprising a hook horn, a hook latch, a spring stem enclosed within the body of hook, a key rod which is a temporary handle for the hook causing the latch to open, and rotating the rod allows the rod to be released from the hook closing the latch. A rope is attached to the lower portion of hook. However, this cable hook is not suitable for quickly grasping a chain under a mooring buoy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,223, issued Jun. 17, 1986 to Robert L. Hawie, shows a remote control line assembly for use when approaching a mooring comprising a triangular shaped carabiner having a narrow line attachment end to which is secured a tie line or rope and a hook end having a finger section and a rigid helical rod tool which opens and closes the finger section allowing the carabiner to enter or come out of the eye hole or ring on top of a buoy. However, this assembly does not disclose a coiled spring for opening and closing the hook and does not easily capture a chain under a moving buoy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,700, issued Jun. 12, 1990 to Ronald D. Hart discloses a mooring line shackle comprising a main body member, a shackle pin and a blocking member. A hook support with a base section and an arm form an open portion for reception of a typical loop provided on a mooring buoy. A shackle pin has a cylindrical main body section provided at one end of a ring. A mooring buoy is secured to the shackle and a boat. The shackle assembly is secured to a boat hook and when the mooring loop is within the open portion of the main body member, the boat hook and blocking member are pulled away from the shackle assembly and the pin snaps closed. However, this device does not comprise a coiled spring for easily grasping a chain under a mooring and is primarily for grasping a mooring loop or ring on top of a mooring.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,330, issued Mar. 2, 1993 to Bill Dunham, discloses a tool for connecting a snap hook to a remote eye, for example, on the bow of a boat comprising a snap hook set into a hook channel portion of a hook holder. The hook holder is secured to one end of an elongated handle. A finger extends from hook holder and uses the handle to move the snap hook into engagement with a bow eye or the like. Contact of the bow eye and the snap finger moves the holding arm out of holding engagement with the snap finger. The bow eye enters into the hook throat. The hook also becomes free from the holding arm. This allows easy movement of the hook holder away from the hook. However, this tool is not designed to grab a chain hanging down to a weight under a mooring buoy.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,749, issued Jan. 17, 1995 to Virgil A. Larson, discloses a boat mooring hook comprising a rod or boat hook, a mooring line, a U-shaped securing member or buoy hook which is used by sliding the end of the boat hook within a tubular sleeve. The buoy hook is advanced through a buoy ring by the boater's moving the boat hook while still aboard the boat. Once the buoy hook is engaged on the buoy ring, the boat hook can be removed from the sleeve. An eye in the end of the buoy hook is used to attach the mooring line. However, this boat mooring hook is not suitable for grasping a chain under a mooring buoy.